It Was Just a Dream
by PJTL156
Summary: Mac misses Stella. She's been in New Orleans for 2 years now. A hard day and an argument with Jo leaves him in his office tired and alone. After falling asleep on his couch he can't believe who's standing in front of him. Was it just a dream? NOT Mac/Jo


**This is my first FanFic. Don't quickly write me off because this is my first fic. I've been writing all my life. Hope you like it. :)**

**Disclaimer- I do not own CSI:NY or any characters included. Sadly. :(**

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><p><span>It was Just a Dream<span>

"Mac!" Jo screams at him from across the lab. He hears her loud and clear, but pretends not to.

"Mac!" She tries again with no luck. He's mad at her and there's no changing his mind. Everyone in the lab is looking back and forth between the two wondering what's going on.

"Back to work! All of you!" Mac snarls. They all turn away and do as they are told. It's as if he was their father and they his unruly children.

He storms into his office and slams the door. _ Real mature, Mac,_ he thinks to himself. No matter how mad he truly is at Jo, there is sadness in his heart, and it's not because of her. That's the true reason why he's mad. He's alone, and the woman he cares deeply about is in a different part of the country. He quickly pushes away the thoughts of the culprit as Jo walks in, arms crossed. They shoot up in the air as she yells at him yet again.

"What the hell is wrong with you?"

"More than you'll ever know," he retorts.

"I'm serious, Mac. You're just going to let this guy go because of your gut feeling? That's not like you."

"How do you know? You don't know me," Mac growls. He's so angry he doesn't even see the air being sucked out of her lungs.

"Mac! How could you say that to me? We're friends, of course I know you. What's been bothering you so much lately?" The obvious pain in her eyes is completely lost on Mac.

"Nothing is bothering me! Just leave me alone! Get the hell out of my office!" His voice booms and he's _sure_ that the entire lab heard their heated argument, but he didn't care.

"You know what? Fine. See if I care." Before Jo leaves she makes one last blow. "I thought you cared about me, but I guess I'm wrong." _Oh, hell. _Now _what did I do?_ He thinks.

Mac sits on his couch with his head in his hands. _Of course I care about Jo, but not in that way. There's someone else. _His brain pauses._ There's always been someone else. _ An image of a beautiful woman with olive skin and light brown curls pops into his head. "Oh, Stella. I miss you so much." He says to himself.

He lies down and crosses his arms. _What a day. I wish Stella was here. She'd make everything better._ A lone tear streaks down his cheek. _She always knows what to say._ She'd been gone for two years and he still felt like it was a dream. He'd wake up one day and she'd be there like she always had been. Like she should be. Mac shakes his head and looks at his phone. He sighs. _Damn it. It's too late to call her now. Probably has plans anyway._ His mind shoots to New Orleans, Stella in a low dress flirting with some guy at a bar. Her hand on his while their eyes meet. Automatically his fists clench and turn white. _I'm not allowed to be jealous. I never even told her how I feel about her. Besides, it's just my imagination._

He stretches and looks at the time once again. With nowhere else to go and no one waiting for him, Mac stands up. Slowly he walks towards her old office, now being occupied by someone else. _I miss her. I miss my Stella._ He freezes. _Wait, 'my Stella'?_ He shakes it off and looks around the now nearly empty lab. Only a few stragglers left, none of them from Mac's team. No one to talk to about his bad day. At least no one he _wants_ to talk to.

Mac sighs and walks back to his office. A stack of files neatly sits on his desk waiting for him. "Not right now. I'll work on _you_ in the morning," he says to the files and himself.

He takes off his shoes and hangs up his coat before heading back to his couch for a little shut eye. The lights are now off and the only noises that can be heard are machines humming and the faint talking. As he drifts off into the realm of sleep, Mac Taylor thinks of the woman that stole his heart many years ago; the one that ran away to New Orleans. As much as he wants to be mad at her for leaving, he can't. He's the one to blame for not fighting for her. He pushes the shame from his mind and thinks of Stella. A smile never leaves his face as his heartbeat slows along with his breathing. Sleep finally taking over his exhausted body.

When he woke up he felt well rested and was expecting to see sunshine, but that wasn't the case. It was dark except for his lamp, which he was sure he turned off. _That's odd._ He blinked a few times before he smelt woman's perfume and a silhouette standing in front of him.

"Hi Jo. I'm sorry about earlier." His voice raspy and his body still groggy from sleep.

"Hello sleepyhead," the woman answers, "who's Jo?"

_What? _Mac instantly sits up and his jaw drops. "St-Stella?" _Is she really here?_

"Yeah, it's me… Did you have a bad dream or something?"

Mac ignores her question and sits up. His tired head still spinning.

"What are you doing here?" His question comes out harsher than he intended. Stella involuntarily cringes.

"Why wouldn't I be? I work here."

Mac blinks and there are a few moments of awkward silence. He blinks again. "What?" This time his voice is soft and low. _Am I still dreaming? _ He makes an inward sigh._ Probably._

Stella sits next to him; not too close, but not too far. She still didn't know what was going on with him and figured he needed a little bit of space to think. "Are you okay?" Stella asks while cocking her head to the side.

Mac is still confused. _The only way to know if this is real is to touch her._ He gulps and hopes she doesn't notice. She does, but she doesn't say anything; just looks into his soul with concern in her eyes. _Here goes nothing_, Mac thinks.

He slowly moves his hand towards Stella's face, then hesitates. _What if this is all a dream and I wake up before I show her how I feel?  
><em>Stella watches in amusement as Mac's hand goes towards her face. She doesn't dare say a word. If she says the wrong thing she's sure he'll back down. _Please, Mac, please show me you care about me as much as I care about you._

Mac sees the anticipation in her eyes and is now sure she wants the same thing he does. His hand cups her cheek first, then she does the same. They can't help but smile at the loving gesture.

"Stella? I'm not dreaming, am I?"

"I hope not," she says truthfully, "that would mean that I'm dreaming, too."

Their eyes lock onto each other's gaze and their smile instantly gets bigger. Mac musters up the courage and leans close to her face. His hand moves to the back of her neck while hers moves to his hair. For the first time ever their lips meet. There's an instant reaction in both of their brains. Sparks seem to fly from them in every direction. What seems like an hour passes, but it's only a few precious seconds. Both of their heart rates are still elevated when they pull away from their passionate first kiss. Their eyes once again gaze into each others heart and soul. Mac is the first to talk.

"Wow."

"Wow, indeed." Stella agrees. "Mac, I waited so long for that." _Uh, oh. Did I just make a confession? _Now it was Stella's time to gulp._ That kiss was amazing, but does he want more? Has he felt the same for me as long as I have for him?_ A million questions run through Stella's mind before her worries are taken away.

"Me, too." Mac pauses for a couple of seconds as Stella sighs in relief. Neither of them expects what's coming next.

"Stella?" Mac asks in a faint whisper.

"Yes?" Emotions surging through her veins like a waterfall.

He pauses for a moment. "I love you. I have for years." _Did I just say that out loud?_ He sees the look on her face and knew that he had. Stella is shocked by his heartfelt confession. _He _loves _me? _

"You… you love me?" Stella manages to stutter.

"I… I do." Mac stutters back.

Yet again their eyes meet and there's an instant connection. She can see he's waiting for an actual response. Fear of rejection written all over his face. _He really does love me._ She can't help but smile and is pleased to see he smiles back at her; some of his fear fades.

Stella leans close to him; her warm breath toying with his mind.

She whispers, "I love you too, Mac. I always have and I always will."

Stella's lips meet his yet again. Her arms wrap around his neck as his wrap around her waist. Fireworks shooting off in their brain; heat and passion emanating from their warm bodies.

Their kiss ends and the confusion begins again. "Stella? Don't go to New Orleans." Mac says this hurriedly.

"What? Why would I go to New Orleans?" _What's he talking about?_

"Please, just promise me that you won't go to New Orleans. Promise me that you'll never leave me."

The pain and fear in his eyes almost broke Stella's heart. She knew what she had to say.

"Mac, after your confession and those kisses, I don't think you can ever get rid of me." She winks and smiles at Mac and he can't help but smile back. With those words his fears were completely washed away. His heart is finally at ease. Now all that was left was tiny little butterflies. After all, he had already told her that he loved her. All that was left was to let that love grow, and hope that it turned into something special. Neither of them doubted that it would.

"Do you want to get something to eat?" Mac offers.

"I'd love to." Joy fills Stella's heart as Mac's warm hands grab hers.

As they head out of his office their hands intertwine, neither caring who sees their intimate touch. Mac and Stella step into the empty elevator, and as the door closes he can't help but think about what happened earlier. _I can't believe it. Two miserable years with Stella gone from me never really happened. It was just a dream. A very vivid, realistic dream._

Stella gave Mac a sideways glance and asks, "By the way, who's Jo?"

Mac can't help but wonder how she knew what he was thinking.

"No one," he answers, and he means it, "just a figment of my imagination, I guess." He shrugs.

"Was she in that dream you won't tell me about?"

"Yeah, she was. Don't worry about her, though. Like I said, she's not real. My subconscious must have made her up."

Stella drops it. Whoever Jo was it didn't matter. He had confessed his love for her and that's what did matter. She smiles and burrows her head into his chest. They wrap their arms around each other and Mac leans his head on hers. Their smiles mimic each other. _I could get used to this_, they think in unison. They are finally alone and where they should be; in each other's arms. The smile on their faces wouldn't fade for the rest of the night, and probably not for the rest of their lives.

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><p><strong>Well, what did you think? Please Review. It would be much appreciated. :D<strong>

**Thanks to all that have read it. It means a lot. Do you know what else means a lot? Reviews! Even a smiley face will suffice, though some feedback would be golden. ;D**

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